Previously, methods for controlling the spacing of nodes in a genealogical chart consisted of predefined spacing that was selectable from a menu or by entering a numeric value into an input control of the graphical user interface of a genealogical charting software application. As such, users were required to guess which values would be needed to display the genealogical tree in the most aesthetically pleasing configuration. The user could be required to make several attempts until the desired display configuration was achieved.
Since the acceptance of a chart as “pleasing” by a user is subjective the user needs feedback that is immediate and comprehensive. The comprehensive aspects include visual relationships of each node of a chart relative to the other nodes of the chart and the relationship of the nodes of the chart to the pages and page breaks that make up the chart. Current implementations do not provide live feedback of these comprehensive aspects. Using the current implementations available, the user selects a spacing value and then examines the chart to see if the results are pleasing. The examination may include zooming and panning the chart to see how the nodes relate to each other and to the pages and page breaks.
The following invention serves to remedy these and other problems.